Breaking: Manny is a Dodger

A big deal for "the man with snakeskin boots"

We'd tell you more, except the entire internet is down right now. 

UPDATE Sports Illustrated says Jason Bay goes to Boston. Pittsburgh gets minor leaguers. We sincerely hope one of them is named Andy LaRoche. While we're in speculative mode, we wonder if LA also gets Jack Wilson somehow?

UPDATE 2 It is indeed LaRoche, finally freed from his Colletti-and-Torre-imposed purgatory. Red Sox also send Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss to the Pirates, with one more prospect (presumably from the Dodgers) headed Pittsburgh's way. That's all it took to pry Bay out of there in all this?

This is a good deal for the Red Sox - they get a guy who is closer to Manny offensively than we realize (they're five points of OPS+ apart; remember: it isn't 2005 anymore) and whose defense makes him even better. It would have been nice to get some bullpen help, but one could fairly argue that removing Hansen from the equation is addition by subtraction. Moss is a nice possible fourth outfielder, but it's hard to get too upset about that. Bullpen help is an overvalued commodity at the deadline, particularly when a lot of that help is still available off waivers in August.

This is a great deal for the Dodgers, surprisingly, who didn't give up anyone who fit into their plans - LaRoche is probably the best 3B on their roster but whatever - to get a two month rental of Manny, who replaces the slumping Andruw Jones in their lineup, and will help out in a close division. And Manny, Nomar, and Derek Lowe are reunited at last!

What seems odd is that the Pirates didn't get more than just those guys.